Built by carpenter John Single in 1849, Single rented the lean-to on the side of the shop to blacksmith John Fippin, who in 1867 married Single's daughter, Julia.  It was John and Julia's first-born son, William H., who later ran the shop whose name you see on the building today,  As a blacksmith, Fippin repaired tools, buggies and wagons and shod horses and mules.

The building now is a display of artifacts from the 1850s such as tools, hardware and various wagon parts.  This is where our Rough and Ready Blacksmith demonstrates his trade during our Secession Days Chili Cook-off and other days.

The Blacksmith Shop is the site of the famed anvil upon which young Lotta Crabtree, befriended by the famous Lola Montez, danced to the applause of the local miners and launched her successful entertainment career.

PHOTO ABOVE: Fippin BlacksmithShop at turn of the last century. PHOTO TO RIGHT: W.H. Fippin and Stewart Warner (1905). FAR RIGHT PHOTO: Blacksmith Shop today.

Rough and Ready Chamber of Commerce l  P.O. Box 801 l Rough and Ready, California 95975

The Great Republic of Rough and Ready

The Fippin Blacksmith Shop